Cross My Heart (15 page)

“What I meant was, you need to think about what you're saying.”

“That's all I have been doing since you asked me to marry you. Thinking. And the truth is, I shouldn't have to think about my answer. If I loved you the way you deserve to be loved, the answer would have been automatic.” Sadness filled her, for all the fun they'd had and the caring they'd shared, but she knew in her heart that she was finally doing the right thing for them both.

“Lacey, please stop talking nonsense. Whatever's going on in your hick hometown—”

“Hawken's Cove is
not
a hick town.” Surprise and a small pang of hurt rose inside her.

Well, what did she expect? She'd broken things off with him by phone. Had she thought he'd understand and wish her a long happy life?

She'd just never heard him be so nasty before. But she'd never disagreed with him until now, either. At least not on something so monumental.

“Well, obviously the people there are messing with your head. You'll come to your senses as soon as you return.”

“Don't count on it,” she said, clenching her jaw tight.

He made a tsking noise. “Nobody will ever love you as much as I do.” His words sounded more like a threat than the lie she knew them to be.

“Alex, I'm sorry. I care about you and you deserve so much more than I can give. You'll see that one day and you'll thank me for coming to my senses before we made a mistake,” Lacey said, trying to maintain her dignity in the face of his hurt and anger.

“I doubt it. And I don't believe for a minute that we're finished.”

She shivered at his words. “You're wrong. We are
over,
” she said, needing him to hear it one more time. “Goodbye, Alex.” Lacey disconnected the line and placed the phone on the bed.

Her head throbbed badly. She made her way quietly back to the bedroom, tiptoeing as she let herself back inside. She climbed back under the covers and snuggled deep into the pillows, inhaling Ty's comforting scent.

She assured herself she'd done the right thing. She'd told Alex the truth as soon as she knew it herself. There was nothing more she could do. Time would heal his pain over her rejection.

She glanced at Ty, then rolled closer and wrapped her arm around his waist for comfort. Because time would also tell her what her future held.

 

T
Y PULLED
the frying pan out of the cabinet and greased it with oil, preparing for his pathetic version of an omelet, then placed the pan on the stove. He opened the refrigerator to retrieve the eggs and came up empty. Muttering a curse, he searched the kitchen for something to make for breakfast but the cabinets were empty, too. There was no cold cereal because he'd finished a box of Cheerios yesterday, no milk because Lilly lived on milk and cookies, and he remembered now there were no eggs because she had finished those, too. He had promised to pick up some things after work but he'd forgotten all about making the stop.

He was too used to living alone and not answering to anyone. Most mornings he grabbed coffee and a bagel at the place next door to his office. Most mornings he didn't awaken wrapped around Lilly, too content to move.

The longer he'd lain beside her, his groin pressing into her back, the more aroused he became. Aroused and content at the same time. Two scary enough prospects to jolt him into reality and force him out of bed.

He couldn't allow himself to get too used to feeling good. To having Lilly around. He knew all too well how quickly things changed and not for the better. She'd be gone before he knew it. So he decided he was better off padding around his cold kitchen cooking instead of wishing for things that couldn't be.

One last glance into the refrigerator and he knew he had to hit the grocery store if they wanted to eat. Besides, the pooch would be back soon and she needed more food, he thought, looking at Digger's empty bowls. He glanced around at his kitchen, the frying pan on the stove, the dog dishes on the floor, and then turned toward the bedroom where a beautiful woman lay sleeping in his bed.

Ty grabbed his jacket and headed out in search of food, fresh air and hopefully some sanity along with it.

 

H
UNTER PULLED
Digger along the sidewalk in front of Night Owl's bar. The dog stopped for every odd smell and Hunter wondered how Lilly walked her dog every morning and still made it to work on time. He'd been at it for a solid forty minutes and she still hadn't done her thing.

Considering he'd woken up face-to-face with Her Smelliness as he'd come to call Digger, he couldn't wait to return the dog to her owner.

“Hunter?”

He heard his name being called and turned to see Molly stepping out of the new Starbucks that had opened next to the bar.

“Hey there,” he said, his heart picking up speed at the sight of her in tight blue jeans and a gold long-sleeved shirt with matching gold scarf that picked up the highlights in her hair.

She glanced down at Digger who'd begun to sniff at Molly's feet. “Did you adopt a pet?” she asked.

“Hell no. The mutt is Lilly's. I'm on my way to return her and be free.”

A grin tipped Molly's lips. “Aaah, so females confine you?”

“Did I say that?” he asked, laughing.

“Just call it a woman's inference.” She took a sip of her coffee.

“How was the party last night?” Hunter asked.

While she'd been at the party with Ty and Lilly, Hunter had been surrounded by takeout Chinese food cartons and legal files. He'd been working late, pulling together a defense for a man accused of stealing a car, which had led to someone's death. In the end, Hunter's strategy came down to relying on his client's willingness to take risks in the hopes that the jury bought his story.

Molly shrugged. “It was okay. Parties aren't really my favorite thing to do but everyone seemed to have a good time.” Her gaze shifted away from his.

He wondered if things at the mansion had been as happy as she'd like him to believe. Ty and Lilly would tell him for sure. “I've got to get Digger the Dog here back home, but I was wondering—”

“Yes?” Her eyes grew wide.

“I don't have much free time right now because my case has been moved up but a man has to eat and it's pretty lonely having to do it alone.” Leveling with Molly wasn't easy but last night he'd decided he had no choice.

“Is that your lame way of asking me on a date?” she asked.

“As a matter of fact, it is. And not one of those joking questions where you can blow me off to paint your toenails,” he said, his tone as serious as he felt at the moment. “And not a meal I'm going to bring by your place so Anna Marie can listen in and take notes. A real date with real conversation.”

Last night, as Hunter had worked out the defense plan for his client, Hunter's thoughts had strayed to Molly and the parallels of his case to his life. Could he ask another human being to take chances when Hunter was unable to do the same? He'd decided then and there to go after what he wanted, risking the rejection he'd been avoiding for years.

He just hadn't thought he'd have the opportunity so soon. But as Lilly's return reminded him, life was about taking chances.

Despite the dog pulling on the leash and his own desire to run before she could answer, Hunter took one more risk and reached for Molly's hand. “So what do you say? Dinner?”

She surprised him by nodding. “I'd like that.”

He glanced down at their intertwined hands. “Me, too.”

The dog began tugging harder, obviously not happy about being ignored. He didn't know how to break it to Digger but Molly was a lot better looking—and better smelling—than she was.

He gestured to the dog. “I need to bring her back home. Pick you up at seven tonight?” he asked Molly.

“I'll be ready. Just tell me this is a casual kind of date because I'd really rather not dress up if you don't mind.” She swept a hand across her jeans. “What you're seeing is the real me.”

The always confident Molly spoke hesitantly, as if her dressing down might change his mind. Instead it turned him on more.

“So…would pizza and a beer be your idea of a good time?” he asked. “Because that's more the real me than the guy in the suit you see every day.” He glanced her way and winked, enjoying the flush he brought to her cheeks.

She laughed. “Thank God.” With a wave, she took off down the street, leaving him staring after her, watching the sway in her step as she walked.

He yanked the leash, pulling Digger away from a wrapper someone had left on the sidewalk and turned the corner toward Ty's. But he couldn't take his mind off Molly and the fact that they were finally making progress in the getting-to-know-one-another department, no matter how small the steps.

He walked up the stairs and Digger immediately bolted ahead of him, pulling the leash out of his hands. “And here I thought I treated you pretty good,” Hunter muttered as the dog bolted to get away from him. “At least some women are beginning to appreciate my charm.”

Digger rose onto her hind legs and scratched at the door, her urgency to get inside ridiculous if it weren't so pathetic.

He knocked on the door and when nobody answered, he pulled his spare key out of his pocket. “Ready or not, here I come,” he called, hoping like hell he wasn't about to walk in on his two best friends in an embarrassing situation.

He glanced down, planning to slide the key into the lock when he realized the door was closed but not shut tight. “What the hell?”

Someone had jimmied the lock and once he turned the knob, the door opened wide. Smoke immediately hit him in the face, nearly knocking him over. Digger, who Hunter had already lost control over, bounded into the smoky apartment before Hunter could stop her.

“Lilly! Ty!” Hunter bolted into the apartment but smoke burned his eyes and forced him back out. His heart pounded in his raw throat and panic swept over him.

“Is anyone there?” he yelled before drawing a deep breath.

Nobody replied. He hit the door with his elbow. The smoke was too thick and dense for him to make it inside but he was determined to try. Before he could make his next move, he heard barking and a loud noise, as if someone had bumped into something.

“Lilly?” he yelled, loudly.

Next thing he knew, Digger bolted toward him, with Lilly stumbling behind her dog.

Hunter grabbed Lilly's arm and pulled her out of the apartment. With Digger by their side, they ran for fresh air outside, banging on other tenants' doors as they went.

Lilly fell onto the grass, coughing, while Hunter called 911 from his cell phone.

“You okay?” he asked, while Digger licked her owner's face.

Lilly struggled to rise but he gently pressed her back onto the ground. “Rest,” he ordered. He glanced toward the building, grateful to see other tenants already on the sidewalk.

“What happened?” Lilly asked.

He shrugged. “Beats me. I was bringing your pooch back home. I knocked on the door, no one answered, so I let myself in and was bowled over by smoke. Much as it galls me to admit anything good about Her Smelliness, she just might have saved your life.”

“You saved my life, too. You showed up just in time.” Lilly exhaled hard and followed it up with a hacking cough. She grabbed her dog and hugged her hard, pulling the furry body against her chest.

Hunter's adrenaline was still pumping through him like crazy. Before he could reply, fire engines sounded loudly and the red truck pulled around back.

What the hell had happened, he wondered and hoped they'd have an answer soon. Because if he'd spent another minute talking to Molly, he might not have reached Lilly at all.

T
y turned the corner by Night Owl's and saw trouble immediately. A fire engine sat in front of the building and smoke billowed out from the windows of the apartments. Panic swamped him.

Milk, eggs and groceries forgotten, he ran toward the building screaming Lilly's name.

“Ty! Hang on, man. She's right here.”

Hunter's voice broke through Ty's panic. He glanced over and caught sight of them beneath a tree, far from the building where the firefighters were working.

Relief filled him but his racing heartbeat didn't slow. “What happened?” Ty echoed Lilly's question.

“That's something we'd like to go over with you,” Tom, the fire chief said. He lifted his hat off and wiped his sweaty forehead with the back of his hand.

Ty shook his head. “First tell me everyone's okay.”

“Everyone's okay,” Hunter and Lilly said at the same time.

Relief flowed through him and when Digger began to paw at his shoes, Ty scratched the dog's head.

“The fire started in your apartment, Ty, so why don't you run through your morning with me,” the fire chief said.

Ty narrowed his gaze. “I woke up early and went to make breakfast. I couldn't find any eggs so I went out to buy some things and came home to pure chaos.”

“Lilly?” Tom asked. “What about you?”

“I didn't sleep well last night,” she said without meeting Ty's gaze. “I fell asleep so late, I was still out cold until Hunter came by with my dog. They woke me up just in time.”

“So, Ty, you took out the frying pan and left it on the stove?” Tom asked.

Ty nodded, thinking back to the early morning. “I put some oil into the pan, went looking for the eggs and came up empty.”

“Who uses oil to make eggs? You're supposed to use butter or margarine on the pan,” Lilly said.

“An ignorant bachelor uses oil,” Ty muttered.

Tom scratched his head. “So you didn't turn on the stove.”

“No.” The hair on the back of Ty's back prickled, giving him chills. “I
never
turned it on.”

“I had to ask, even if I have known you forever. I'm guessing you didn't jimmy your own lock, either.”

“Someone jimmied the lock? You mean someone broke in?” Ty asked, anger and fear fueling his raised voice.

“Ty—” Lilly put a calming hand on his arm.

The chief nodded. “There's evidence that someone broke in.”

“Fingerprints?” Ty asked, his thoughts immediately going to Lilly's uncle.

The chief shook his head. “Don't know yet.”

“Is anything missing?” Ty asked.

“Nothing obvious but you'll have to let me know.”

Ty nodded. His gut told him nothing would be missing. Whoever had jimmied the lock wanted something and it wasn't anything he could carry out with him, Ty thought, glancing at Lilly.

As soon as the cops and firemen left, he'd call Derek but Ty knew Dumont hadn't been around here at all. If he had, Derek wouldn't have been far behind. He'd never have let the man get near Ty's apartment door.

“Why didn't the smoke alarm go off and wake me?” Lilly asked.

“That was one of the first things we checked. It was disconnected. So one of two things happened. Either you made another stupid bachelor move and pulled the batteries out last time it went off while you were cooking, or whoever broke in disconnected it. So which is it?” Tom raised an eyebrow in question.

“It wasn't me,” Ty said through gritted teeth.

“I had a hunch you'd say that.” Tom smiled grimly. “The police'll do their jobs once we finish ours. Right now I need to go talk to some of the other tenants. Don't go too far and let us know where we can reach you,” he said to them. “Lilly, you make sure you stop by the ambulance and let the paramedics check you out,” he said before walking away. “I'll be in touch.”

Ty inclined his head, waiting for the other man to leave so he could talk to Hunter and Lilly. “Lilly, did you hear anyone inside the apartment?”

She shook her head. “I never even heard you leave. I told the chief the truth. I had a hard time falling asleep and once I did, next thing I remember was Digger barking and licking my face. I woke up coughing, I saw the smoke and ran.” She hugged her knees against her chest, obviously still shaken.

So was he. When he'd seen the fire engines and the smoke, his heart nearly stopped when he realized Lilly might still be inside. The sun shone in the sky yet he still didn't feel its heat or warmth.

“It was Uncle Marc, wasn't it?” Lilly asked softly, petting Digger who lay still in her lap.

“It's possible,” Hunter said.

On that note, Ty raised a finger indicating they should wait. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Derek. A quick conversation with the other man confirmed Ty's hunch. Dumont hadn't left his house all night. Thanks to Derek's binoculars and his position on the road, he could see the older man in the kitchen as he and Ty spoke.

“Thanks.” Ty flipped his phone closed and glanced at his friends. “I've had Derek tailing your uncle since the day he showed up at my apartment to see you. He had an alibi for the incident at the mall and he was also home all last night and this morning.” Ty shook his head in frustration. “He could have hired someone, but we're not finding any proof. He's not being sloppy.”

“But he isn't succeeding at hurting her, either,” Hunter said.

“No he's just scaring the living daylights out of me,” Ty said.

Lilly trembled and Ty pulled her tight against him. “Hang in there,” he whispered into her hair. “I need you to think back to that night at the mall. When the car nearly ran you and Molly down. Could the car have been aiming directly for you?”

She lifted her head. “Yes. I mean, it was coming for us. I dove into Molly to get us out of the way. But I thought it was a prank. A kid driving recklessly. Something.”

Anything other than the truth. That her uncle hadn't changed after all. Only this time, he didn't just want her trust fund. He wanted her dead in order to claim it.

 

M
ARC WAS THIRSTY
and water wouldn't quench his need. Neither would soda, juice, coffee or anything else so bland. He needed a good, stiff drink but he fought the desire threatening to engulf him and drag him under.

Nobody told him sobriety would get harder as the years passed. Nobody ever mentioned he'd never forget the taste of alcohol,
any
kind of alcohol or that he could crave it in his sleep. And the worst part was, nobody understood. Just when his life had begun to turn a corner, everything around him was suddenly closing in.

He stood in his private office and stared at the answering machine, glaring at the offending piece of equipment. He hit the Play button to hear the messages one more time.

“We need to talk and it has to be soon. Don't defy me on this or else.” Paul Dunne, the trustee and manager of Lilly's money in the years since Marc's brother died, issued a directive in his pompous voice.

The tone clearly said, “I'm in charge and you're not.” Paul's arrogance and control over the purse strings had sent Marc to the bottle more than once back in the days when Lilly had lived here. Now Marc merely gripped the glass filled with tonic water tighter in his hand.

“Hi, it's Robert,” his brother said. “Vivian's taken a turn for the worse. She needs round-the-clock care even in that hospital. I can't take another mortgage on my house. I need the money. You said we'd have it but that was before Lilly showed up alive. Now I'm desperate. My practice is dwindling and I can't afford the malpractice insurance it takes to keep it going anyway—” A loud beep cut off Robert midsentence.

A large lump settled in Marc's throat. He knew how his brother felt. He knew desperation. The next message filled him with it.

“Marc, darling, it's Francie. I'm in New York City. I took a trip there to look for wedding gowns. There's one that is just exquisite. You said I could have anything my heart desires, regardless of the cost. I do hope that hasn't changed.” She pointedly paused, the silence giving him chills. “Call you later, love.”

The machine clicked off, leaving him alone in his office. A place and a state of mind he'd be in for eternity without the money. The sad part was, Marc no longer wanted or needed the money for himself. Along with getting rid of alcohol, he'd learned to get rid of the greed and jealousy that drove him for much of his life. If only the others in his universe felt the same.

 

L
ACEY HELD IT TOGETHER
while the paramedics did a needless exam, and she was grateful when they let her go without so much as giving her oxygen. Hunter took off for his office, promising to check in on them later. The fire department allowed Lacey and Ty to go back into the apartment to collect their things, but as they'd predicted, everything smelled like smoke. There wasn't anything salvageable to take with them and she was shaken by the fact that they had to leave everything behind. Lacey was forced to remind herself that all of her things were still safely at
home.

But where was home, she wondered now. Where did she want home to be? Here with Ty? In the one place she had people she loved and cared deeply about? Where her only family member wanted her dead?

Or in New York where she'd established herself and the business she loved? But what she was beginning to realize was that she kept herself detached from everyone and everything in her life.

Only when she'd come back to Hawken's Cove, did Lacey begin to
feel.
She felt both the good—like making love with Ty and renewing friendships and making new ones—as well as the bad—the fear of her uncle and the loss of her parents. But at least she felt alive, no matter how beside herself she happened to be at the moment.

She managed to hold herself together while she and Ty did a quick run through Target to pick up a few spare outfits and necessities. And she kept her composure while they drove in silence to Ty's mother's house where they were going to stay until his place had been aired out and cleaned, top to bottom.

By the time they drove up to the curb and parked, Lacey was hanging on by a thread. Still shaken up from nearly being killed and the realization that her uncle actually wanted her
dead,
she was exhausted and near tears.

So when Flo Benson opened her front door and stepped out to greet them, Lacey jumped out of the car leaving Ty behind, and ran up the front lawn, throwing herself into the other woman's open arms.

An hour later, they'd showered—separately, darn it, and Flo had fed them both, much as she'd done when they were young, Lacey thought.

She finished the last of her chicken soup and rose to help clear the plates.

“Uh-uh,” Flo said. “Let me fuss over you. It's been way too long since I had the chance.” Ty's mother began her cleaning, using the same efficient manner she'd always had.

She looked well, too, despite having had heart surgery a few years ago, as Ty had told her during a cookies-and-milk session late one night.

Lacey glanced at Ty. He met her gaze, his lips curving into a sexy grin. “I told you she missed you.” He inclined his head toward his busy mother.

“Yeah. I missed you, too,” she said softly, speaking of Flo, but also of Ty and this place.

Lacey glanced around, focusing for the first time. The appliances were different, a modern-looking stainless steel. They used to be a disgusting yellow, but she recalled the old room fondly despite the putrid color.

She had to admit she liked the new look and it made the kitchen appear more spacious and homey. “The house looks good,” she said to Flo.

While showering, Lilly had noticed the bathroom had been refinished, as well. Flo hadn't had much money when Lacey had lived here, but either her circumstances had changed or Ty helped his mother, which wouldn't surprise Lacey. He was a good man.

“Thank you, honey.” Flo caught Ty's gaze, then smiled at Lacey.

Over coffee, they made small talk, nobody bringing up the dreaded subject of Lacey's disappearance all those years ago. She knew someday they'd have to talk about it, but for today she was happy to just be here.

The rest of the day seemed to pass in a blur and when it came time to settle in for the evening, Flo insisted Lacey take Ty's old bedroom. He didn't argue and Lacey knew better than to fight with the two of them. She'd never win. She unpacked the few items she'd picked up at the store and joined Flo and Ty again in the family room for some television, but exhaustion swept over her much earlier than usual.

She stretched her hands over her head and yawned aloud, covering her mouth in the nick of time. “Excuse me,” she said, stifling a laugh. “I am wiped out.”

“It's no wonder considering what you've been through today,” Ty said.